A senior Hong Kong government official responsible for overseeing faulty lift installation work that delayed the opening of a new block at Queen Mary Hospital was asked to resign, the South China Morning Post has learned.
She left her post last month amid concerns over defects and delays, including issues linked to other projects.
Experts criticised the authorities’ handling of the alleged civil service management failures, saying the move appeared to bypass the established disciplinary process and lacked transparency.
Multiple sources said Li Pak-yee, a chief project manager at the Architectural Services Department (ASD) who oversaw the multibillion-dollar redevelopment of the hospital in Pok Fu Lam, left her directorate-level post in August.
Her departure came shortly before scrutiny intensified over defective work at Hong Kong Island’s largest hospital, where 24 of the 28 lifts in the new 34-storey clinical block were found unfit for use.
“[Li] was advised by the Architectural Services Department to resign,” a government insider said. “Such a departure is extremely rare within the civil service framework.”
Another government source said the department viewed Li, who was the main official liaising with contractors and overseeing delivery of the hospital project, as potentially having made “management missteps” that contributed to the delay. The department sought to resolve the matter internally rather than begin formal disciplinary proceedings.
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